Mitt Romney imagines his first day as president

Mitt Romney imagines his first day as president of the United States. Wikileaks launches its very own social network. And YouTube celebrates its 7th birthday…

Mitt Romney imagines his first day as president

Mitt Romney, Barack Obama’s likely republican opponent in November’s US Presidential Election, seems pretty confident he’ll be the next occupant of the White House. Well that’s what his latest campaign ad, which is also his first ad to be aired across the US television network, would leave us to believe. It’s called “Day 1” and presents the first three changes the Mormon candidate will make upon election: approve construction of the keystone pipeline between Canada and the United States, introduce tax cuts for companies, and rethink the healthcare reform measures implemented by the current president. This draft program has provoked lively reactions among American web users.

Soon after the campaign ad was aired for the first time, critics of the former governor for Massachusetts began voicing their opinions online. Some have been wondering what would happen if the measures promised by Romney were actually implemented. They think for example that the keystone project will lead to increased pollution across the US and the tax reductions will generate problems for the US treasury. Others have been saying, with a hint of irony, that the Republican candidate’s propositions are quite simply unrealistic and will most probably never see the light of day…

And Barack Obama’s campaign team has wasted no time in responding to the ad. The outgoing president has posted this video online, warning people to be wary of Mitt Romney’s promises describing him as someone who would say anything and everything to get elected. Something the White House occupant says should prompt American voters to question the Mormon candidate’s reliability.

Now trending on social networks

Twitter was momentarily blocked in Pakistan on Sunday over a social media competition involving caricatures of Prophet Mohammed. Facebook had agreed to remove content deemed blasphemous by the local authorities, Twitter however, had not, and web users were denied access to the micro blogging site for an entire day. The measure was met with strong criticism from Pakistan’s online community, describing it as infringement on freedom of expression.

Song lyrics translated into Skakespearean English

What would modern pop songs sound like if they were translated into Shakespearean English? The creator of the Twitter thread @Shakespearesong has been answering this very question, and revisiting hits from Justin Bieber, LMFAO and also Amy Winehouse, using 16th century vocabulary. The idea is proving pretty popular, the account was created just last week and already has over 55 000 followers.

Wikileaks launches encrypted social network

Wikileaks, the well-known website created by Julian Assange that specializes in disclosing classified and confidential information and documents, has just launched its very own social network called “FoWL” or “Friends of Wikileaks”. It sees itself as a direct competitor to Facebook by offering an encrypted network, away from the prying eyes of the authorities. It wants to bring together people from all over the world, people who may not know each other but share common values, so that they can exchange ideas and help build a better and more transparent world.

Video of the day

YouTube was launched on May 21st 2005, and has produced this video to celebrate its 7th birthday. The 2 minute clip looks back at the key moments of its development and features some of the most memorable videos posted on the sharing platform. It pays tribute to the creativity and talent of web users, saying they are primarily responsible for the site’s phenomenal success.